


Across Space Itself

by MachineryField



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29143377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: Dimensional travel is possible, the Homs of Th Plains know this to be true, but it's also dangerous. Outside of Makna and Eryth, there's no safe dimension to visit -- at least, that's what's believed until Shulk and Fiora stumble into a hidden people thanks to some hair caught in cogs.
Relationships: Fiora & Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 2





	Across Space Itself

**Author's Note:**

> New AU bc I have no self control wahoo

**Gran Dell, The Plains, 7:00**

Shulk twists another part into place and smiles -- the Mechon were a real pain for Gran Dell, most of the time, but they sure made good scrap metal! Better that monsters from another reality had one or two uses, rather than none, if you asked him. It was durable in just the right way, perfect for weapons… And for dimensional warp technology.

He looks at the blueprint again and grins ear to ear -- it’s just about done! A few more tweaks and one more piece and it’ll be perfect. The best machine a Homs had made yet…

“Shulk.” He hears the familiar sound of a hair clip being placed on the desk on the other side of the room, and glances to see Fiora pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. “How’s the building going?”

Shulk smiles and turns back to his work. “It’s going well! I’ve gone a bit out of the recommended specs, but it seems to be stable.”

“By recommended you mean  _ mandatory _ specs, right?” Fiora frowns at him, hand on her hip. “Shulk, sometimes I swear you’re  _ trying _ to get into trouble!”

“There’s no harm in a little fun with it, right?” He rubs the back of his head. “I’ve made so many machines within the specs, I… wanted to try something new.”

“Don’t blame me if you get in trouble for it.” She shakes her head and starts looking the machine over. “Pretty nice looking, given what material you have to work with…”

“Dickson always says I’ve got a real knack for this.”

“Fair enough.” Fiora shrugs. “As long as you--”

She lets out a yell and Shulk looks over to see her ponytail has gotten stuck in some gears. He rushes for some scissors, unsure of what else to do to get the hair out. He brings them up to her hair and he begins to close the scissors, an explosion goes off, and everything goes white.

\--

**???, ???, 7:15**

  
  


Fiora watches Shulk fall to the ground in an alley as her butt hits the ground. This is not the lab -- far from it -- and she’s not sure how this happened. One second her hair was stuck in the machine, the next things had gone dark.

She runs a hand through her ponytail and finds the ends of her hair are a total wreck now, eaten up by cogs. Well… Nothing to do about it, she supposes, pulling out her pocket knife. She puts it up to her ponytail and cuts right through it, letting it and the band holding it fall to the ground.

“Well, that’s that, I guess.” She huffs and looks around. This doesn’t look like any alley Gran Dell would have to offer. It’s too… mechanical, too wide. Just what is up with it?

Shulk seems to be looking around, trying to understand it as well. They both venture closer to the exit of the alley… Only to come to a stop when they see a Mechon pass by. That tells Fiora everything they need to know.

“This is where the Mechon come from.” She pushes in front of Shulk, holding out her pocket knife. “Stay behind me, you don’t have a weapon.”

“A pocket knife won’t do much good, Fiora.” He tries to push past her, but she’s the muscular one for a reason, and he fails. “You’ll just get hurt!”

“I’ll be careful -- I’m Dunban’s sister, you know! I’m fast on my feet!” She winks at him and turns back to the entrance. “We don’t have much of a choice, anyway. If we sit around in this alley we’ll just starve.”

Fiora takes the first step out of the alley, and sucks in a breath at what she sees. There are the Mechon they’re all used to in The Plains, yes, but there’s also humanoid beings. Walking around, living life around the Mechon as if they’re tamed Armu and Bunnits.

They’re so tall, so scary looking, and yet no actions make them seem dangerous. The way a mother dotes on a child sitting within a pod, the way a merchant calmly talks with a haggler, the way a man pets the top of a Mechon’s head… It’s so strange, so alien to see people who look like this acting so peacefully.

“Just what is this dimension…?”

\--

**???, ???, 8:00**

They’ve been wandering around, barely noticed by the people, for a while now. Shulk’s trying to focus on how to get back, but oh how his mind wanders. These people, completely mechanical and just as smart as him and Fiora… He wants to learn more about them.

He’s sure Fiora is getting tired of him pausing and staring at them, but he just can’t help it. There’s just so much to see, so much to take in. Of course, his staring leads to another issue soon enough.

One minute, he’s walking along, staring off at some people in the distance, and the next he’s hitting right into a metal woman.

He falls to his butt and lets out a groan, Fiora running to his side and helping him up. He looks up and sees the woman has pink decals -- something fairly rare from what he’s seen in the others like this. She stares down at him with curiosity, and the pain in Shulk’s head makes him speak.

“Can I inspect your body? Maybe take you apart and study the pieces?”

“Shulk!” Fiora hisses, slapping his shoulder. “You can’t just ask things like that to… mechanical strangers!”

But the woman just smiles. “Oh! How interesting… I would be fine with that, so long as you allow me to take you apart and study you back. It’s rare we get visitors from other dimensions, after all!”

Shulk is about to say yes when Fiora steps between them. “Sorry, but he hit his head. He’s not in any position to say yes to much of anything right now. He shouldn’t have even asked to take you apart!”

“Aw…” She pouts at them and Shulk tries to step forward. “Are you sure? It would be such an important step for science if he allowed me to do that!”

“Yes, very sure, sorry about that!”

“Fiora--”

She sends him a look. “You are not getting taken apart and studied, Shulk. In case you forgot, we Homs would  _ die  _ doing that.”

“Now, it isn’t your place to decide that for him.” The woman places her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think it’s up to him if he wants to donate his body to science? You shouldn’t stop him if that’s what he wishes!”

“You can’t just  _ take my best friend apart! _ ” Fiora replies, frowning at her. “Back off!”

“You--”

“Melekanze, that’s quite enough. No taking our organic guests apart.” A deep voice makes Shulk glance to the side and up and standing there? Another mechanical man, this one taller than most. “Off you go now.”

“Oh you’re no fun, Egil.” Melekanze pouts, but listens and walks away, leaving them alone with Egil.

He looks scarier than most of them, and seems to have a permanent frown on his face as he looks down at them. Yet at the same time, as all the others, he’s strangely beautiful. Shulk finds himself staring.

“Well then, would you two like to tell me  _ what _ exactly you are, and how you ended up here?”

\--

**???, ???, 8:25**

Fiora watches Egil’s back (well, watches it the best she can manage, at least) with a frown. He’s started leading them somewhere, saying he can help them get back to their dimension, but she’s not sure she believes it.

But, he did save Shulk from getting dissected, so she guesses that at least is a plus. Maybe she should thank him for that, even.

“Thanks. For keeping Shulk from being, uh… dissected, you know?” She smiles a bit. “I’m glad not all Machina are like that.”

“Oh, not at all.” He waves his hand in the air. “Melekanze is a strange one. Most of us would only want to rip the High Entia to pieces to study.”

Oh. Oh awkward. Fiora closes her mouth then and looks at Shulk, worry clear in her expression. This doesn’t seem like a great place to be, but Shulk doesn’t seem to get that. Ah, the allure of this all is still getting to him big time, isn’t it? Curse his love for machines…

She walks along quietly again, just hoping Egil means that and that they aren’t walking into a lab for study. Just in case, though, she keeps her pocket knife close. Might not do much, but she  _ will _ cut him if she must.

...Hopefully it wouldn’t break the blade, though. His skin seems tough.

\--

**???, ???, 9:40**

Shulk stares at the compact machine in front of him and makes mental notes to make his own Ether Harnesser small in the future -- easier to carry around and go to and from dimensions that way. The woman behind the creation, Vanea, gives them a smile.

“I’ve hopefully been able to get the specifications just right.” She says. “You should find yourselves back home without much issue! It may not be exact, but it shouldn’t be anything you can’t handle.”

Fiora nods. “Thank you so much and… Sorry for all this trouble.”

“It’s nothing.” Vanea shakes her head. “If anything, I am happy to be able to try this creation of mine out. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Well, if it wasn’t this, Meyneth would surely get on both of us for it.” Egil replies with a shrug. “Better it’s something she’d be understanding about.”

“Meyneth only nags because she cares, Egil.” Vanea reminds, checking one last thing about her creation. “We should save this conversation, anyway. No need to bother this lot with it.”

Egil nods and looks at Shulk, making him jump quite a bit. “Make sure you don’t get dissected when you get back, alright? It’d be a shame if my telling Melekanze to shoo means nothing in the end.”

Shulk laughs a bit, rubbing the back of his head. “I… I’m usually not that ridiculous about things, I swear.”

“Only when pretty metal people are involved.” Fiora quips, making Shulk’s face go red. “Now come on, let’s go home!”

Vanea opens a portal as Shulk nods and takes Fiora’s hand. With a deep breath, they both take a step through, and find themselves once again in the Plains. Back home, with more on their mind than they’d ever have thought possible.


End file.
